• WEST HILLS STEM ACADEMY
    NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY

    For many students, selection as a member of NHS is the pinnacle of their achievement in school. This honor, recognized throughout the nation, is both the public recognition of accomplishment and the private commitment to continued excellence on the part of the new member. The West Hills STEM Academy chapter is charged with creating a selection process that conforms to national guidelines, is applied fairly and consistently to all candidates, and provides a meaningful recognition of deserving students. 

    Selection to NHS is a privilege, not a right. Students do not apply for membership in NHS; instead, they provide information to be used by the local selection committee/faculty council to support their candidacy for membership. Membership is granted only to those students selected by the Faculty Council. This is not an election, nor is membership automatically conveyed simply because a student has achieved a specified level of academic performance. 

    Selection Procedures

    Step 1:  At end of first semester grading, a list of academically eligible students is prepared.

    Step 2:  Eligible students will be given a letter inviting them to fill out a Student Activity Information Form and will need to return the form by announced deadline.

    Step 3:  Faculty evaluation forms will be given to middle school teachers.

    Step 4:  Faculty Council will meet to review information materials and determine final NHS student selections.

    Step 5:  Following the Faculty Council selection meeting, students will be informed of their status.  Selected students will be called to a meeting to outline the process for induction in the National Honor Society.

    Any questions or comments should be directed Jessica Klein, West Hills STEM Academy NHS chapter advisor, at 473-4600.

    Selection Process 

    The membership selection process for the National Honor Society (NHS) is as follows:

    1. Student must be a 7th or 8th grader in attendance at WHSA.
    2. Student must achieve a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0/85%/B, or higher to be eligible for the National Honor Society.
    3. Selection is based on four criteria:  Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character.
    4. To be considered for selection, a student who has the required GPA must submit a completed Student Activity Information Form.
    5. To be invited to be a member of the National Honor Society, a student must receive a majority vote of the Faculty Council.  A principal and the NHS advisor are non-voting members of this selection committee, but the principal does have final approval of all accepted new members.

    Each potential member is sent a letter requesting that he/she fill out a Student Activity Form.

    • This form asks prospective members to list all activities, jobs, volunteer work, sports, awards, and honors.  
    • A candidate must demonstrate that he/she has been involved in service projects in or outside of school.

    A faculty evaluation form is also given to the selection committee members to comment positively or negatively on those students with whom have been contacted.

    • The faculty council, a 5-member group of teachers selected by the principal, follow the national procedures of the selection process to determine selection of candidates who are eligible for membership in the West Hills STEM Academy Chapter of NHS.
    • The faculty council utilizes faculty evaluations and the Student Activity Information Form in their determinations.
    • They also consider attendance and discipline records.

    West Hills STEM Academy Principal Lisa Heaman is the arbitrating official should there be an appeal regarding the membership selection process.  Her role with the National Honor Society is to appoint and work closely with the chapter advisor and the faculty council.  As principal, she has the right to approve all activities and decisions of the chapter.